Telephony.



G. A. BALS TELEPHONY.

APPLIGATIOH FILED JUN-127.1918.

1,105,564. Patented July 28, 2914,

2 EHEETS-SEBET i.

WITH 5E5 INVENTQR 1 CHASA. BALI-5.

' ATTORNEY C. A. BALS.

TELEPHONY. urLIoA'non run!) min: :1. 1013.

1 1 05,564. Patented July 28, 1914.

Q SHEEN-BEBE! 2.

FIG. 2. GEE:

zgr'ronmsy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. BALS, oscmcaoo, ILLINoIs, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro FRANK s. coox COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

TELEPHONY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cuaauzs A. Baas, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and uscful Improvements in Telephony, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accom ianying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to telephone exchange systems and has a number of objects and advantages in view.

The invention has for one of its objects the irovision of a plurality of circuit changing lceys, an element for each key for hol ing the same in actuated position, and a bar common to the keys and having connections with said key holding elements to which the bar is common whereby actuated keys may be restored upon suitable movement of the bar. This equipment is efiectively used in combination with telephone lines, a link connector b which said tele- )llOllC lines may be joine and to which the keys are individual and to which keys the link connector is common, said keys governin the circuit relation of the lines and the link connector, a magnet for moving the bar to release actuated keys, and means govcrllcd b substation equipment for energizing sai magnet when connection between lines has been concluded. The operator is desirably also provided with means for governing the operation of releasing the electro magnet.

hlv invention, in he embodiment thereof herein specifically disclosed, may be de scribed as a telephone exchange system iiioluding a plurality of tele )hone lines extending to an exchange, a p urality of'link connectors for joining said lines in telephonic connection, a plurality of keys for each link connector, each key being individual to a telephone line, these keys having contacts and circuit connections that enable them to connect the lines to which they are common, whereby lines ma be telephonicallv connected, an operator's telephone, an additional key individual to each link connector for connecting the operators teleihone therewith, means for holding them latter keys in operated positions, an( 1 common to the latter means adapted to re- Specitlcatton of Letters Patent.

Application tiled June 27, 1913.

nouns Patented July 28, 1914.

Serial No. 776,027.

lease the same from engagement with deressed keys to permit their restoration. his means permits me to limit the association of an operators telephone to one link connector at a time so that telephone lines cannot be crossed by way of the operators keys, a result which I believe to be new in any telephone system.

[y invention has several other characteristics and advantages and will be fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawings showing the preferred cinbodiment of the invention and in which Figures 1 and 2, taken collectively with the ines at the right hand of Fig. 1 in alinement with the lines at the left hand of Fig. 2, illustrate a telephone exchange system equipped in accordance with the invention in din rannnatic detail.

I have ilustrated two telephone stations 120 and 190 each having as its telephone e uipment a telephone switch hook 1, a te ephone receiver 2, a telephone transmitter 3, a call bell 4, a condenser 5, and an impedance device 6 which is in serial relation to the transmitter and in shunt of the receiver, the switch hook having an upper contact to include the receiver and transmitter in bridge of its telc )hone line when the receiver is removed rom the switch hook. The telephone lines extend from the substations to an exchange where each line has a plurality of keys permanently individual thereto. A third telephone line is illustrated at the lower portion of the drawings that is supposed to extend to an exchange where it is ada )tcd for connection with outside telephone ines to enable stations 120 and 190 to have external connections. There is a plurality of link connectors for joining said lines in conversation, each link connector being equipped with switches of different lines whereby it will be necessary merely to operate the switches individual to calling and called lines and which belong to the same link connector for uniting calling and called lines. It is of course obvious that-the number of lines is ordinarily in excess of the number illustrated and that the number of link connect rs is suitable to the trallic between the lines. I have shown three link connectors each commonto the lines, each link connector including as its telephone line joining conductors the conductors 7 and 8, these conductors 7, 8 of each link connector serving multiply to connect the central springs 9 of the keys 10, these keys being perinancntly individual to the lines. The contacts immediately adi'acent to each pair of springs J are connectc with the sides of the associate tele hone line whereb a tele hone line may ecome connected with the se ected conductors 7, 8 by the depression of the key 10 pertaining to such link conductors 7, 8 and individual to the line that is to be connected therewith. Thus by dc )ressing two keys 1U pertaining to the same ink conductors 7, 8 and individual to the lines that are to be connected such lines are telephonically connected. If station 120 and 190 are to become connected a set of link conductors 7, 8 is selected by the o )erator and the keys 10 individual to these lines and pertaining to the selected link conductors are depressed. If either line is to be connected to the third line that extends to an exchange then the key 10 individual to the third line and pertaming to the selected link conductors is depressed.

In initiatin a call within the exchange having the lin connectors and key arrangement illust rated, a subscriber, which may be assumed to be the subscriber at station 120, removes his telephone from its switch hook to connect both sides of his line whereupon a circuit, is established that is traceable from the upper pole of the battery 11, the normally closed contacts of a key 12, a line annunciator 14, each line having such an annunciator individual thereto, the two normally engaged lowermost contacts of each of the keys 10 pertaining to the calling line in serial order, the normally closed lower pair of contacts for ringing key 15 individual to the calling line, each line having such a key, both sides of the calling telephone line and the telephone bridge between the same, the upper normally closed air of contacts of the ringing key 15 of tie calling line, the two normally engaged uppermost contacts of each of the keys 10 pertaining to the calling line in serial order, to the lower pole of the battery 11. The contacts of the normally Closed upper pair of contacts of each ringing key 15 are directly connected by a high noninductive resistance 16, for example seventccn thousand ohms, this resistance being ctlectively excluded by the contacts which it connects in the normal talking and signaling operations. The attendant o ierator may be provided with a telephone out it comprising a telephone switch hook 17, a telephone receiver 18, a telephone transmitter 19, and an impedance device 20 in shunt of the receiver and in serial relation to the transmitter, the switch hook havin two upper contacts for including the receiver and transmitter in connection with the telephone conductors 21 and 22 which multiply connect the inner contact springs 23 of operators keys 2%. There is one key 24 individual to each link connector 7, 8 and the contacts immediately adjacent the springs 23 are connected with the conductors 7, 8 of the various links to which they are individual whereby when any key 24 is depressed the attcndant s telephone equipment is thrown in connection with the link connector to which the depressed key is individual whereby an attendant may bring herself into communication with any of the telephone lines when the key 10 individual to such line and individual to the link having the depressed key 24 is also depressed. Thus the operator will establish communication with the calling station in response to the display effected by the annunciator 14 individual to the calling line and will ascertain the number of the line with which the calling station desires to have connection. The operator, having previously depressed a key 10 individual to the calling line and individual to the key 2-} which the operator depressed to establish connnunicntion with the calling line, will thereupon depress another key 10 individual to the desired line and individual to the same link connector 7, 8 whose key 10 individual to the calling line was previously depressed thereby joining the calling and called lines by a set of telephone conductors 7, 8. The oierator will next fully depress the ringing button 15 individual to the called line to bring the generator terminals 15 into connection with the adjacent actuated contact springs that are connected with the sides of the called line whereby rin ing current from the generator 25 issu plied to the called line to operate the signal liell 4 at this station. The "encrator 2:) may be a hand generator and in such event it is desirably sup )lemented by a power generator 26 from which current may )e intermittently supplied due to the presence of an interrupter 27. A key 28, in the. position in which it is illustrated, connects the generator 25 with the various ringing keys and when this key is depressed it cuts the generator 25 out of circuit and substitutes the power generator 26 for the e.\- cluded generator 25. \Vhen the ringing key is fully depressed the upwardly projecting nose carried by the armature of a holding magnet 29 is placed in register with the notch in the lower side of the plunger of llic. key so that when the key is released and par tially restored this nose will cngage the key and hold it in a ringing position until th ccalled iarty responds, the resistance of the bell bridge at the called station being sullicient to cut down the current from the generator (25 or 26) to prevent the holding magnet 20 from operating, while the resist.- ance of the telephone bridge which is substituted at the called station after response lit thereat is 'sufliciently low in comparison to a the resistance of the bell 4-'- to permit Sulli-- cient increase of the generator current giz'ed and restored tohoirfnah The gener-. -Y ator is appliedtq'the calling line Before-the nose of, the. armature ofthe holding magnet 29 is'brol ght into register with; the notch in j the ringing key'plunge'r and at this'time the I form-t attract' thearmature and keep it fr m the notch lt hein uhderstood that when the hnsm ben 'wit in the hotch the armature gap .h-a's been j'inci'eased and holdin' ringing current; will have greater work to pertorni ingnttrectin'g talic-armature of, the

duced; when passing through-the-cjall bell of a called. station, tof'prvent it from attracting the armature when is elevated-and held within the mew" t the ringing key, but;-

35 release the holdi'n" ni gnet' 29 from the ,;11nfluence 1ofthc*ri gLcui'rent when the mmature nose is nd'tiringl-iiieMith the ring ing kc notoltto' perinit this noselater to enter t e notclr Lprovi'de'the topmost contact for each ringingfkey' whichis electrical conneetion'withithe' three underlying contacts "when its key'{plungcr is fully de- -pressed, this uppermost contact being sepa-' rated when the'key is released by 'theoperw' tor endIliirs assumed '8} partially restored posit onfiif' When 't his upperniost contact is engagedfia circuit is established traceable from thci grounded pole. ofthe generator f (this-being the generator that-happens to be 60 i engaged contacts of the key' 28, the two-upiperinost contacts of the fully depres'sedring- 'ing key,the sluggishly operating relay 30, to gl'Olllld the armature of the relay which connects the lower ringing key con- ,tact with the generatorbe'inq thereby attract/ed then todi'sconncct this-lower ringing key contact from the generator whereby the ringing cu'rrentis momentarilycut off from the holding magnet 29, this condition continuing wh'ile'thetwo uppermost contactsf-of the employed ringing key are in engageinent this latter condition lasting until the ringing key ha-s'hech partially restoredto .65 its normal j'positioxn in which partially rei J V switch hook-whereupon a .circuitis' estabmagnet 29. would have small work to per-' when its nose in-reg'ister with dingmgfneh Y v As stat the current istsufliciently -re-' now being without-the notch of'the p unger I of this key due to the zittraction' ofithe Mm employed) said generator, the middle and:

stored positionv nose 'of the armature en: ters the notch in t e ringing key to hold the ringingkey with the ringing contacts properly connec v with the -generator to' furnish callingcurr'ent to the called him, the magnet30 then having its circuit opened at .the two uppermost contacts of the ringing key to restor its armature. :When the key 28 is depressed to substitute the 'powergen-v crater 26 .for thei'hand generator 25 the cor responding holding magnet 29 is similarly controlle s Havingsignaled the-called station, the; operator restores Y her; receiver 18 :jto' its .lished traceable from the right hand normal"-' rounded contact of the switch hook 17, the

eft hand normal contact :ofithis switchf" hook, the two right hand contacts or the depressed key 24; the release" magnct"31," the grounded battery 11 whereby the release]? magnet '31 attracts its armature-3 2 that; is

pin 34;, (that entered: the .notch .ofthepie- T 'viously depressed :key 24 to hold fitde'-' '9 ressed) theinner spring 23 0f the employed ey 24 beingnow perniitted to' press nponthe plunger of the depressed *key; 24 tbelevate it 'and' restore it toinormal, the in 34 2 ture 32 and the consequent movement of j the bar 33. I preferably"-provide"out one: release magnet' fil', the bar'-33 carr'y'in' the pins 3 t of, all 'of the key eatz It wn be. obvious that the operator; j-after' having "gle i pressed one key '24,;i'nay depress anotherke I and restore-the first inasxnu'h as the "secon key engages its :pin 34':a'nd inoves-"Ithe bar t disengage the .pin 34 oit'h first'ltey' h to permit the plunger ofthiSkey to-restore tognormal. 'I believe th s feature of my in: I 7 vention tobe broadly new in that'it enables an operator, whether 'in' 'snch ofisystem "as shown herein or in other systems, tol'inter; qhangcably'connect her. telephone -fwith diff eferent-l'ink connectprsbut prevent twb keys from being" simultaneously depressed ennui-- taneou'sly tofconncct' her telephone with n :plurality of link connectors. Byf limiting 1 15 the connection of the. opei'ators telephone to yon-e link connector at a time'by the inter-i relation of the keys24 disclosed, crossfco nections by way of the operators listeningikeys are prevented; a result which b elieyed'to be new in any telephone exchange equipment. Ifia. callingstation had de--- I sired an external connection the trunk line 35 would be employed. If 'thistrunk. line I extends to a common battery exchange then no signaling operations at the calling station K 'or by the attendant operatorwould be required as the signaling circuit extending to Q the exchange would .thenbe closedmerely the telepiiene rece iver at ,he calling staconnected with the bar 33 to .withdrawfth e fee tion b" way of the link connector 7, 8 joining the calling line with the trunk line. If the trunk 1111035 extends to a magneto board then the operator ma signal the magneto exchange by means a key 36, a circuit havmgvbeen prteipared by which this key 36 may become e ective for this signallower spri ingpurpose and which prepared circuit is traceable from the lower pole of the battery 37, the relay 38, therepeating coil 39,-the 9 pertaining to the, trunk line key10 that as been depressed and the contact engaging this key, the righthand contact'spring 23 0f the en ployed key 24 and energized; is denergi "ture whereby a cifi able from the gin pne'viouslyfenergizfe the contact still cngegin the same,. the switch hook 17, the-two ii lternate contacts of this switch hook, the attendant operators telephone-outfit, the left hand spring 23 of said key 24 and the eontactengeging the-same, the relay the-upper contact spring 9 of said .trunkline key 10 and the gcontactengag d. by this s ring, the-repeat.

contact then engaging this spring, the" re ting eoil 39 the relay 38 "t 1 ound, whffebythe relay 3. 8 which viias iv iou sly .ieleaseits armau groan Therelay431isthus energized to mm its armature switchesto. engage their 145'.

alternate contacts whereby th ,tteryatl 1S thrown-into circuitjivithth i-nunciator it the magn ts exchnnge in the" presencepf an operdtor 10 14 66- The stntions120 1' sired'to perniif'these stations to'signal' the] function "of thePkeyfBG'if itfshould ,be demagneto board, operated key 46 serving" also'toshunt the magnet Btl with similar "results. The'tru'nk linefis providedfwithg f an incoming signal 47 by which an operator "at the magnetohoa'rd mely signal the MI: tendant to connect an outside calling petty with it called station 120 and 190;- The van-- 5 ous bntteties which have been given different characters of-rcfer' ence may be merged into '21. common battery and current may he supplied from such hatter-y to the trf xnsinittcrs at the stations I20 andlflth'and 'a path for such telephoneh'atterv ('usrent maylie traced from the lower terminal of the hath-in it,

key, the upper established t-racc- 1;, L 'arinature of the p $42; the contact jmthen engaged=tl1ereby,the released armature T of reTaTy QB and the contactthen engaged thereb the relay" 43, tl ie battery 44,to-

the upper winding of an impedance coil t3,- the bottom contact of the trunk line-key 10 that is individual to the link conductors 7 8 I connected with the line over'which e current is being'supglied, the contact her 7Q, mally engaged by t is contact, the lower contact 9"0f the key 10 individual to the telephone l ine over which batterifg current is being supplied, the contact enga' d by this contact, the lower pair of normal y engaged 76 4 eontactsof the ringing key 15 individual to the telephone-line over which current is being supplied, both sides of such telephone line and the telephone receiverand transmittr atthe station-thereog, the vupper pair ofnormally connected contacts of said ringing key 15, the "upper contact 9 of the key 10 individual tothe telephone 'lineo'ver which current is being supplied,- the contact engaging this contact, the relay 40, the normally connected two topmost contacts of tlgd-afbresaid trunk line key 10,.the lower winding; of the impedance 48,. the ,keyl2," to

the battery-11. j f

iVhen the connected partiesare through conversation they restore their receivers upon their'swi-tch hooks and the relay 40 individualto the lin 'onnector that unites the lines and wine as reviously ener- .gized as has been describe is deenergized.

When a relay 1O wasroriginally energized (that is one'sucli :1: ndividual to each ,linkyconneotor) Sit nture switch estah? ifshecl an obvious-c wthat includes-the grounded battery 11 and" the Sluggishly'. operating: relay d9, the armature 'sw1tch {of-: y thereupon establishing an ohvious t includes the relay 50.;andthe:

=the relays 49 and 50 at this time no other functions. There are .1 nys-IQ-nnd 50 for each link ifabnnec toriinxl in fasso ciation with each relay-40. a- Nhen. the arnnature of "the relayifllji'j isreleased upon cessation ofconnectionlbifiiwenw armature switch rop ing-back-and cooper! ating with the stilF- attracted armatur' switch of the relay 50 toestehi-ish a circui fofth e vreleasemagnet 51, which "circiiit' g navbe treced from the grounded imam switeiio'f-relay' 4-9, the stili attracted tinie' switch of relay 5Q, thewsitin'g cent of magnet; 151, to the grounded batteryby wayofthe button the-role magnet fii is 'thusjenergi f moves a liar fiznpwsrdly e'aQ li-nk'conneci: tor "5', S addition ito-F-in1 -ving'- a releasemagnet 51 individual 'thcretoalso having a;- m 52 individual thereto; Whene'bar is raised the free'cnds ofth e pivoted-firms 53, 1 which free ends are attached te-the 11:1?52,

are eicvnted,there being one such arrnjfifl" in:- each key 10, each arm having nine 1 ingot for engagement with e lug fi5atipon' the coricspondingkcy pll'mgcr when such 1 tations, the in 49' is 1, firstieleesedg' -jitfliiiltk' key plunger is depressed to retain the plunger in the depressed position. Thus in an established connection two of the arms 53 connected with the same bar 52 operate to hold depressed the two keys that were operated to establish connection and when the connection is broken the release magnet 51 is encrgized,-the various arms 53 conneeted with the elevated bar 52, including the two arms that held the two actuated keys 1O depressed, whereby the lugs of these keys are freed from engagement with the adjacent arms 53 whereupon the springs of these keys are free to operate to restore the keys to normal. The relay 49 is not slow for any operative purpose in the system herein disclosed but is shown as being sluggishly operating in order that the system may be used in connection with automatic systemsemployingdelayingmechanism. The operator is provided with a switching de- \ice so which may he used in conjunction with a depressed key it to release any key or keys 10 individual to such key it in the event, for example of mistake having been made by the operator in setting the wrong keys 10, the switch at) serving to effect the energization of the release magnet 51 individual to the keys 10 that the operator is to resti'ire. ()r the operator may engage the bar :72 and move it directly without the int nrentiim of the release magnet.

It may be desired to keep one or more of the telephone lines in ermanent connection with link conductors 8 during some, pe rind of time, say at night time, and in such event the key 12 is depressed to prevent the release magnet 51 from operating In passing it. may he stated that the resistance 16 diverts a portion of the calling current to the calling station so that the calling "station may know that the hell at the called station is being operated "here are novel structural features dis closwl in the equipment which l have descrihcd which are not to be limited to their circuit environnn-mt and there are novel circuit arrangements which are not to be lim 4 ited to the structural features and I do not therefore wish to be limited to the st ructural features and circuit arrangement illustratcd.

The applicant is aware of the application of htorton L. Johnson, Serial No. (343,336, tiled August 10, 191'], and no claims are made herein that are to be construed as reading upon the system disclosed in the aforesaid co-pending application.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following z? 1. A telephone sy tem including a telephone line extending from a station to an exchange; a signaling current gei'ierator; a key tor including the signaling current generator in circuit with the telephone line; a magnet included in the path of the current and whose armature, when released, serves to hold the key in depressed position, this armature freely permitting a depression of the key when signaling current is to he applied to the line; switching mechanism governed by the key for removing signaling cue rent l'rom the holding magnet after such signaling current has been initially applied to the line and reincluding the magnet in circuit with the generator upon partial release of the key to permit the key to he held by the armature of ihwmagnet in its partially released position; a signaling bridge at the station oi the line of sutlieient resistance to prevent the signaling current from operating the magnet; and a telephone bridge at the station sutliciently lacking in resistance to permit such current to operate the magnet then to release the key.

2. A telephone system including a link connector; a telephone line extending from a station to said link connector; a trunk line extending from said linl': connector to an exchange; keys individual to said line. and common to the link connector; a source of signaling current; an clectro-magnet for connecting said source of signaling current with the trunk line to operate a signal de- Vice at the exchange to which said trunk line extend and circuit emntections established by said link and keys or associating said electrwmagnet with the equipm nt of the station of said telephone line whereby said signaling current may he applied to the trunk line by operation oi the equipment at said station.

in witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this thirty lirst day of May A. D., 1913.

(ll TABLES A. BARS.

W'itnesse T). L. Vnrrn, G. L. Queue. 

